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CNN Investigation Raises Questions after U.S. Military says no one was Hit by Gunfire after Kabul Airport Bombing; U.S. Official Warn Deal must be Salvaged this Month; Protests Clog Central Ottawa over COVID Rules; U.S. Officials Seize $3.6 Billion in Stolen Bitcoin; China Invites Billions in Winter Sports Infrastructure. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired February 09, 2022 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN, Abu Dhabi. This is "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: And for those of you who are just joining us, you are more than welcome. This is the second out of

"Connect the World".

And up first, a CNN exclusive last August at the height of what was that chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan a deadly terror attack at Kabul

Airport, which killed 13 U.S. service members and at least 170 Afghan civilians.

We'll a pentagon investigation into that attack, released last Friday said everyone died as a result of that blast the work of a lone suicide bomber.

But a four month CNN investigation into the attack now raises serious questions about whether that has been investigated fully. Nick Paton Walsh

report and a warning to you it does contain graphic images that may be disturbing to some of you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (voice over): The blast tore into the dense crowd.

MORSAL HAMIDI, SURVIVOR: A very high bomb blast town and dead people I saw a lot of hands legs without their bodies.

WALSH (voice over): At least 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops died after an ISIS suicide bomber struck outside Kabul Airport a Pentagon investigation

of the attack released Friday said everyone died in the blast.

GEN. KENNETH "FRANK" MCKENZIE, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: The single explosive device killed at least 170 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S service

members by explosively directing ball bearings through a packed crowd into our men and women at Abby Gate.

WALSH (voice over): Review unearthed this brief glimpse of bomber. CNN spent four months investigating the incident reviewing medical records and

analyzing video photos and audio of the scene. And speaking to over 70 witnesses of families of the dead doctors, hospital staff and survivors who

insist some of the dead and wounded were shot.

The analysis and testimonies raise hard questions as to whether the bomb can explain all the deaths.

NOORULLAH ZAKHEL, SURVIVOR: The soldier came directly and they started firing. I've laid down when they start firing like this.

WALSH (voice over): CNN spoke to doctors and medical staff at five hospitals who spoke of seeing or treating what they say were gunshot

wounds. An Italian run emergency hospital told CNN in a statement about that evening, their doctors assessed "Gunshot wounds" on nine victims who

arrived dead in the hour after the blast.

Seven was shot in the head they said but there was no autopsy done for those rare in Afghanistan. So they assessed the appearance of the wounds.

At an Afghan military hospital, a doctor recorded two other victims that were "Dead" due to gunshot injuries and blast injuries from the airport

attack.

Then there are the survivors. One Afghan survivor was treated in the U.S. military's own Walter Reed Hospital outside Washington. He showed us his

medical records asking to be anonymous for his safety. They recorded a gunshot wound to the left chest and blast injuries too.

Another survivor - had a bullet injury to the left side of her face, say her records from the Italian hospital in Kabul.

HAMIDI: I realized that the blood is coming from my face like water from a tap. I was hit by a bullet and my face in my right jaw here and the blood

extracted from this part of my throat.

WALSH (voice over): Dead and wounded flooded into hospitals. We spoke to a doctor who treated patients at Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital, one of the

biggest in Kabul. He said he pulled bullets out of for injured patients from the airport that night.

He said he found gunshot wounds on many other dead bodies he examined, suggesting the number of people shot may be much higher. He asked we hide

his identity for his safety.

ZAKHEL: There were two kinds of injuries. People burn from the blast with lots of holes in their bodies, but with the gunshot you can see just one or

two holes in the mouth and the head and the eye in the chest.

[11:05:00]

ZAKHEL: I removed bullets from four or five.

WALSH (voice over): U.S. military investigators insist that was not the case.

LANCE G.CURTIS, U.S. MILITARY INVESTIGATOR: There were absolutely no gunshot wounds. During the course of our investigation, we found no

evidence that post blast, U.S. service members killed other U.S. service members or Afghans.

WALSH (voice over): But investigators admit they did not talk to any Afghan civilians.

MCKENZIE: During the course of our investigation, we did not have an opportunity to speak with Afghans on the ground.

WALSH (voice over): Yet dozens of Afghans assert there was deadly gunfire after the bomb hit here at Abby Gate. We've built a 3D model of the scene

is the canal outside the gate 45 minutes before the blast.

And then just before the device detonated, it's packed and the marines are bunched up. The U.S. military said the device was sophisticated and said

ball bearings flying into a dense crowd surrounding the bomber at the time of ignition and could be reasonably expected to have killed all the people.

: Here's one of those ball bearings removed from a victim shoulder. The U.S. military told CNN that doctors might have mistaken wounds made by

these ball bearings for bullet wounds.

Adding they were too similar to tell apart without study of the internal wounds and the finding of the projectile that caused it, which the Afghan

hospitals could not do in a mass casualty event with a doctor who said he pulled bullets out of four patients disagreed.

UNIDENTIFED MALE: According to my 15 years of surgery in Afghanistan, bomb and bullet injuries are very different when a ball bearing enters the body

it makes a big hole different from a short bullet. When a bullet enters it makes a small hole with a specific border. And when it leaves it makes a

big hole.

WALSH (voice over): Other staff at his hospital told CNN they too had seen bullet wounds. There is no dispute there was some shooting some in this

video. Three minutes after the blast you can hear three gunshots but not see whose shooting. There's chaos and fear. U.S. marines are likely tending

to injured near the gate. Children are being carried away some crouch for cover.

U.S. military investigators released drone video they said started just after this. It is patchy but they said their analysis of the footage showed

nobody running away and panic from gunfire or any evidence of shooting.

The U.S. and UK militaries have said there were three bursts of gunfire both at some point just after the blast. U.S. troops notice a suspicious

military aged male across the canal soon after the blast U.S. investigators said they fired four warning shots.

A UK defense official told CNN their troops on top of a tower fired warning shots at about the same time to prevent a crowd surge. The U.S.

investigators said the British fired 25 to 35 rounds over the crowd from two positions.

Another marine team fights again. This time at a male on a roof arm they said with AK-47 investigators couldn't say how many rounds they shot. The

U.S. and British military say all the shots were fired over the crowded canal but did not hit anyone.

WALSH (on camera): And it's important to remember that none of the dozens of eyewitnesses we've spoken to have recalled seeing any other gun man be

it ISIS or Taliban in that scene in the aftermath.

WALSH (voice over): A U.S. official also said no other gunmen fired in the aftermath. But one marine did talk to CBS News in September, recalling a

firefight with an assailant.

ZAKHEL: He's blown off his feet and still has his wits about him shot through the shoulder immediately recovers his weapon and puts the opposing

gunman down.

WALSH (voice over): A U.S. official CNN spoke to now assert the marine spoke in error adding no other troops investigators interviewed recalled

that incident occurring. Doubts over the Pentagon story also emerged from Afghan survivors they also recall troops opening fire but say civilians

were hit more subtle - with her sister should golfer in the trench three meters from the blast she said.

HAMIDI: I heard from was fallen to my hands and I just put it on the other dead people.

WALSH (on camera): You saw the soldiers on the wall of the trench shooting down into the trench.

HAMIDI: Yes, they should have done trench.

WALSH (on camera): And when the shooting started did you see it or did you hear it?

HAMIDI: Yes, I saw the soldiers exactly some came to save their own colleagues, others did that and fire directly towards people.

[11:10:00]

WALSH (voice over): : Noorullah Zakhel said he was also in the trench hit in the head by the blast and tried to flee with his cousin Suhail.

ZAKHEL: I told to my cousin Suhail run. We run together - I tried to go climb out from the canal, I succeed, but I think my cousin escaped. The

soldier came directly and they started firing.

WALSH (on camera): When did you find out that Suhail was dead?

ZAKHEL: In the morning time. When I called my family, is Suhail is OK? They said he was martyred.

WALSH (on camera): And how was his body what were the injuries on his body?

ZAKHEL: They were just shooting two bullets one on head in this side and taken out from this side and another one on shoulder.

WALSH (voice over): One survivor didn't want to be identified and said he was also in the trench. He said he saw his cousin shot in front of him.

Medical reports we cited earlier confirmed his brother and cousin been declared as having been shot.

ZAKHEL: Maybe five minutes after the blast, I tried to help my brother and cousin out of the canal. But I wasn't able to. They were alive until that

point. But when the firing started, a bullet hit one of them in the head. This is what I saw with my own eyes. He died right there on the spot.

WALSH (voice over): A total of 19 survivors CNN has interviewed said they saw people shot or shot themselves. The U.S. military said the witnesses we

spoke to had "Jumbled memories" from a concussive event and are doing their best to piece together what their brain is unlikely to remember clearly,

and that no other fact backed up claims people was shot.

The volume of testimony from Afghan survivors though, does present questions as to how so many witnesses could make such similar claims.

CHRIS COBB SMITH, FORENSIC BLAST ANALYST: I felt like I know the area backwards already having looked at all that footage.

WALSH (voice over): CNN hired a forensic blast analyst, Former UN Weapons Inspector and a war Crimes Investigator Chris Cobb Smith, to see what the

scene could tell us about the bomb?

SMITH: It does indeed look as though the bomb was filled with ball bearings.

WALSH (on camera): It was quite small, right?

SMITH: It's most certainly a small device is virtually nothing of the concrete infrastructure of this area that has been damaged significantly by

a big blast. I do not believe that bomb was big enough to kill 180 people at all.

WALSH (voice over): That remains under contention and there were other experts who believe the bomb could have killed all those people. The

Pentagon's investigation aims to provide answers for the families of Americans lost here. But in Afghanistan, the survivors of the blast and its

aftermath, dispute the American narrative and suffer with their memories.

HAMIDI: Every night it's like a nightmare for me, I cannot sleep. It's very terrible for me. But I just try to remember all my hopes my entire wish.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Nick is back in London and he joins us. He joins us now. Nick, the testimonies in your piece is disturbing and raised some very serious

questions. What, if anything, has the Pentagon said in response to your investigation?

WALSH: Well, we have spent an inordinate amount of time the best part really of two months, trying to understand the Pentagon's position on this.

I went to the Pentagon for a three and a half hour long briefing with the investigative team.

We had subsequent follow up emails and discussions about what we had found. And in short, as we said in the report there, the Pentagon's position

essentially says that the eyewitnesses we spoke to 19 of them who said they saw people being shot or were shot them are wrong, and they have jumbled

memories from poor recollection affected by the impact of the blast.

Now, we do know that blasts can impact people's memories but that's a lot of Afghans to all have the same false recollection, if you follow the

Pentagon logic here. And then subsequent they also say that the medical staff that looked at injuries in the dead and determined that they were not

from ball bearings, but from gunshots that they are in fact, mistaken too.

So there is this gulf between what we saw and heard on the ground in Afghanistan, after two months of news gathering subsequent to months of

discussion with the Pentagon in two weeks on the ground.

What we saw on the ground there, which the Pentagon except they did not see or ask about them. And that version of events put forward by the Pentagon,

based on interviews with their own personnel and video that they've gathered themselves.

They're fairly hard to reconcile. So the question really is now do the Pentagon consider this matter closed and that their investigation and their

information was adequate, or should it be probed further? We don't know the answer for that yet.

[11:15:00]

ANDERSON: Well, if we get an answer, of course we will let our viewers know. Thank you, Nick. And for more on this head to cnn.com where you will

find detailed interactive special report by Nick and his team - Kabul gate to freedom on the front page of cnn.com.

This could be a critical juncture in talks aimed at keeping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. Ahead Biden Administration officials warn there

are only weeks left to salvage the existing deal more on that after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: In the past hour or so CNN has learned that the White House has approved a plan for U.S. troops to help Americans who may try to leave

Ukraine should Russia invade? Barbara Starr joining me with more on this does is suggest U.S. troops entering Ukraine potentially, Barbara?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: No, no, no U.S. troops will not be entering Ukraine clearly at this point by any instance, according to the

Biden Administration this is really a plan by the Pentagon in the State Department.

If and when and as Americans believe too, we begin to leave Ukraine. You know, first important to say the State Department is already telling

Americans they need to go. And there's plenty of commercial transportation for them to do that right now.

But if hostilities were to break out, and Americans needed to get out, what we're looking at is the border of Poland and just across the border inside

Poland there will be U.S. troops 82nd airborne is largely going to base itself there and working alongside the State Department which would handle

visas, all the paperwork, all the verification, that kind of thing.

The 82nd airborne would have facilities for Americans in transit; we are told this can be temporary accommodation tent huts, if you will. If there

is a Polish housing area there potentially opposed military base they will do that they will help process Americans if and when and it comes to the

point they begin to transit through that area.

But our colleagues at "The Wall Street Journal" breaking this story first point out as we all do; this is still a long ways away. It's a contingency

plan. It's been ready just in case the U.S. certainly hopes it will not come to that. And the State Department is continuing to tell American

citizens it really is time to leave Ukraine, Becky.

ANDERSON: Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon for you, Barbara, thank you! Well, the month of March traditionally means mud in parts of Ukraine. It's

actually showing up a little bit earlier than usual thanks to a mild winter. So the big question is, could that affect any plans for Russian

offensive or military analysts have been debating that as we hear from CNN's Melissa Bell, have a listen.

[11:20:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORESPONDENT (voice over): Across much of Ukraine, it's been a mild winter still plenty of snow. But much of it turning to slush,

this year of as off less ice the normal for the beginning of February.

According to the latest data temperatures are running between one and three degrees Celsius higher than the 30 year average. And that just might make a

difference to any Russian military offensive.

JEO BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF UNITIED STATES OF AMERICA: --to move in and occupy the whole country, particularly from the north from Belarus, it's, he's

going to have to wait a little bit on the grounds frozen.

BELL (voice over): The view in Washington is that a Russian offensive needs frozen ground given Ukraine's landscape.

GENERAL MARK MILLEY, U.S. JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHAIRMAN: Prominent terrain includes flat open plains, and there are abundance of rivers and lakes and

there's a high water table.

And when that high water table freezes, it makes it for optimal conditions for cross country track and wheel vehicle maneuver.

BELL (voice over): It's not so much that modern tanks get bogged down in wet conditions, but the support they need, can do.

J.D. WILLIAMS, SENIOR DEFENSE RESEARCHER, RAND CORP: More importantly, than the track vehicles themselves as what they need to sustain themselves,

which is fuel and ammunition which are very heavy, and are generally carried by wheeled vehicles that need good roads.

BELL (voice over): Even the Russians admit that in some areas, wet conditions can be a factor.

VLADIMIR CHIZHOV, RUSSIA AMBASSADOR TO THE EUROPEAN UNION: If you studied geography of the area, actually the southern part of Belarus, close to the

Iranian border is a very swampy area, which is hardly fitting for certain active engagement of tanks and other heavy weaponry.

BELL (voice over): It's not just the conditions on the ground; it's the skies as well. Clear skies are important for reconnaissance and

intelligence gathering, and for landing assault troops.

WILLIAMS: Cloudy weather, rain, snow, all of that would inhibit the reconnaissance measures that you would use to find the targets. And if you

can't find the targets precisely then the effect that your fires are going to have are going to be diminished.

BELL (voice over): But in the initial phase of any conflict, some experts say that Russia would likely opt for weapons that can operate in any

weather, long range artillery ballistic missiles, they would seek to take out Ukrainian command and control, not frontline forces.

Satellite imagery indicates that such weapons have been brought forward to positions near the Ukrainian border. The Russian military both on the

ground and in the air has been significantly upgraded over the course of the last decade, and it trains to operate in all weather conditions.

But even in the 21st century, weather matters, and the forecast for the rest of February is far milder than normal conditions and plenty of cloud

cover. Melissa Bell, CNN, Kyiv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Iran is unveiling a new long range missile; Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps says the missile is lighter weight and "More efficient" and

they say it is capable of hitting targets more than 1400 kilometers away.

Well, this amid the following genuinely in the very final stretch. That is how a U.S. official describes the latest nuclear talks with Iran. The

eighth round resume Tuesday and some of the Biden Administration believe there are only weeks left to strike a deal they want.

If talks break down the U.S. will have to get tougher to keep Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. Well, the U.S. withdrew from the international

agreement under Donald Trump of course; it's only playing an indirect role in these current negotiations.

CNN's Kylie Atwood has been doing some digging on this angle for us, and she joins us now live from the State Department. How long is U.S. giving

negotiators then to get a deal done and should they not get one? What do they mean by switching to tougher tactics do you think?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, our reporting is that this is the decisive month for if the Iran deal is going to be

salvaged or not. And of course, that's significant because the Biden Administration has been saying over the last few months really that it's a

matter of weeks that are left to salvage the deal or not.

But now we have a better understanding that they see the end of this month as the critical deadline here. That is why this round of talks they've been

going on for about 10 months in Vienna. This is why this certain round is so important because it will determine if the deal is salvaged or not.

Now, when we talk about what the Biden Administration is going to do this alternative plan if the Iran deal isn't salvage?

[11:25:00]

ATWOOD: They haven't really given us all too many details on that. And that is, in part, because they want the talks to salvage the deal. That is their

front and foremost best option here, they want the deal to stay in place, and then they want to build on that.

So they haven't really been publicly saying exactly what the United States and its allies are going to do in terms of this tougher economic and

diplomatic approach to Iran, if they aren't able to salvage the deal, but rest assured that the United States is lockstep with its allies on this.

I've talked to British officials who say that the U.S. is working on what that alternative looks like. And it is going to be something that will be

implemented pretty quickly, if this deal isn't salvaged because the ultimate goal, of course, is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear

weapon.

ANDERSON: Yes. And why would they show their hand at this point, I guess, would be the sort of, you know, the atmosphere for this right. Look, I

spoke to U.S. Special Envoy for Iran, Rob Malley, back on December the 21st. You'll remember that and that that stage, he told me that Iran had

just weeks to get in line, as it were. Look, there is clearly a push on all sides to try and get a deal struck.

And let's say it is struck, it certainly will have its detractors, not least Republicans in Congress. Will Joe Biden have to submit any deal to

Congress, what are the President's obligations as you understand them?

ATWOOD: So it's a complicated situation that the Biden Administration faces. Because technically, if they get back into the Iran deal, that is

already a deal that Congress has signed off on. But some members of Congress believe that if they get back into the deal, it's, you know,

potentially a new version of the deal.

And Congress would again have to sign off on them re-entering this deal, because it's in a new version. Now, the State Department has said that they

will follow the rule of law and that they will work with Congress on this not being very explicit, whether they believe that it is a New Deal, or if

it is just getting back into an old deal that Congress has already signed off on.

But there's a lot of political theater here in Washington surrounding this, because the Republicans are putting forth this idea that they need to sign

off before the Biden Administration goes back into a deal.

And then you have Democrats who are also concerned about the possibility of getting back into a deal that may not actually pay many dividends when it

comes to the next few years. Because the controls on Iran's nuclear program really start to run out over the next few years.

So the Biden Administration is in a tricky situation, because they're sort of damned if they do damned if they don't. And they're going to face

political headwinds on both sides of the aisle, no matter what happens over the next month or so.

ANDERSON: Yes, don't forget that domestic audience and the importance that the White House will put on ensuring that they get they get the support

that they need, if indeed they're able to do that. Thank you.

Ahead on the show, Canadian trucker protests have created a traffic gridlock at the biggest land border crossing in North America and the

demonstrations are going global. And U.S. authorities say they've tracked down billions, billions of dollars' worth of hacked Bitcoin. What the

arrests say about criminals using cyber currencies that is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:30:00]

ANDERSON: Welcome back. It is half past eight here in Abu Dhabi. This is our Middle East programming hub and you're watching "Connect the World".

Canadian protesters are now impeding traffic. What is the busiest international land border crossing in North America?

There are fears it could impact supply chains for nearly two weeks so called Freedom convoy made up of trucks and other vehicles have been

clogging roadways in Ottawa and in other major Canadian cities.

But now, drivers have created a traffic gridlock at what's known as the Ambassador Bridge, which links Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan. The

Windsor Police Service asking demonstrators to "maintain open communication with them", while Paula Newton is in Ottawa with the latest.

You and I have been talking now for some days, U.S. Canadian business groups demanding the truckers and this blockade. What sort of interruptions

to the supply chain, could we could we see at this point?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It can be quite serious. You have to think about that border crossing alone really carries as much as a quarter of all

the trade between Canada, the United States in a year. It is significant. There are alternate routes right now, Becky, but the issue here is how far

it'll escalate.

That isn't the only border blockade right now. There's another one in the western provinces in Alberta. And then Becky, you have what's going on in

front of me. I mean imagine Becky that this was going on in front of 10 Downing Street.

This is Canada's parliament building. And you see it is like a street parade everything completely closed down and the residents in this area

really starting to become annoyed with the nuisance of it.

It is as if this is an occupation they tell us and as if they're being taken over. And even just from a security perspective Becky, look at this,

this is the prime minister's office. And you have trucks all around it.

Think about all the lengths many people have gone to try and keep these areas secure towards certain, you know, terrorists, security scares, and

yet here you have what police are calling an occupation. I want to give you a sense, though, of what people here are demanding, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON (voice over): Freedom, it's the mantra here and what has become an eyesore of a parking lot. Right in front of Canada's Parliament, it

stretches for blocks. It's gone on for days, the message the same. We're done with COVID and we're staying until the government is to.

DORAN, TRUCK DRIVER: To the end that - do problems get solved.

NEWTON (voice over): For Doran behind this rig for 17 years the vaccine is the problem. He says he's vaccinated but feels he was forced into it. He

wants the freedom to choose. As a father he admits he stressed losing hundreds of dollars every day he's out here.

DORAN: But there's something more important in this you know life than the money. You know, if you don't make any changes, now you're going to lose

all freedom.

NEWTON (voice over): But here's the thing. It's not just truckers. It's not just about the vaccine mandates. These Canadians drove five hours and are

here to have their say, because the truckers tapped into a pandemic fatigue. They say they can no longer endure. And they say they're

vaccinated.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 100 percent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Though those got my QR code.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I even made and sold masks at the beginning of this. But you know what, when you keep doing the same thing over and over again

expecting a different result, that's the definition of insanity. We are insane right now. We keep doing the same things over and over again.

Nothing is changing.

NEWTON (voice over): To get changed, they say they're staying put. No one has brokered a way out of this.

NEWTON (on camera): And now political leaders and police have learned the hard way that these kinds of Truck blockades can pop up anywhere right

across the country in a moment's notice.

[11:35:00]

NEWTON (voice over): The latest effectively is paralyzing one of the most important supply chains across any border in the world. The Ambassador

Bridge between Windsor and Detroit, police officials say it may seem easy to resolve. But confrontation and violence is a real risk.

DREW DILKENS, WINDSOR, ONTARIO MAYOR: And so everyone here is trying to deal at least on our side is trying to be sensible, fair and reasonable,

recognizing that we live in a democracy and that protest and demonstration is a natural part of a democracy.

But also recognizing that it doesn't mean you can take your protest to the point of closing down the busiest economic corridor between the United

States and Canada.

NEWTON (voice over): But what's at stake couldn't be clearer for both Canada and the U.S. a movement of truckers that can stand their ground, it

seems anywhere and so, chaos. It's for that reason that auto industry executives are joining other high profile Canadians in warning American

supporters of this protest to back off.

FLAVIO VOLPE, PRESIDENT, AUTOMOTIVE PARTS MANUFACTURER'S ASSOCIATION: Let's see if Ted Cruz or the Attorney General in Texas, or any other numbers of

American personalities are going to stand up for the manufacturers in Michigan who can't get their products exported.

Or the petrochemical companies in Texas that rely on parts suppliers, turning those petrochemicals into plastic parts and sending them north of

the border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And that was Paula Newton reporting for you in New Zealand. Protestors demonstrating against vaccine mandates sought inspiration from

the Canadian tactics, blocking streets surrounding parliament with trucks and campus.

Protestors were largely unmasked, they are pledging to camp outside the building until COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. The protests came ahead of

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's first speech of the year. She says, the demonstrators do not represent the majority of people in New Zealand and

the Prime Minister's approval ratings have plummeted recently.

Many residents disagree with how she has handled COVID restrictions. We're taking a short break, back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: U.S. authorities have seized more than $3.6 billion worth of Bitcoin in what has been called the largest financial seizure in history

folks. They arrested a New York couple and charged them with money laundering and other crimes related to the hacking of a virtual currency

exchange in 2016. Now, the couple was known for leading off beat life of luxury in Manhattan. Have a look at this.

As the wife there she calls herself Razzlekhan and put out a series of rap videos touts itself as a social media influencer.

[11:40:00]

ANDERSON: Well, officials say the arrests prove they can track and catch criminals who are operating within the unregulated world of cyber

currencies. Now, somehow a lot of this can be baffling to many people is a new world out there.

So let's talk more about this with Talal Tabbaa. He's the CEO of CoinMENA, an exchange where you can buy, sell and store digital currencies like

Bitcoin. He joins us now live and you know about this story for a few years, as I understand you've been following it. So tell us what exactly

happened here.

TALAL TABBAA, CEO, COINMENA: Alright, so it's one of the craziest stories to happen in the past few years, and God knows we've had couple of those.

So in 2016 120,000, Bitcoins, which was $72 million at the time were stolen or hacked from an exchange called bitfenix, based in Hong Kong.

For that exchange to remain solvent, they slashed a third of their customer's accounts. So for a couple of years, the Bitcoin were lost and

they hadn't moved. In the year 2020 the exchange bitfenix placed the $400 million bounty on those Bitcoins, and they moved some of those bitcoins

move.

And then on the 31st of January of this year, about 95, 00 Bitcoin were moved from one address to the other. Today, the Department of Justice

announced that they basically took in Ilya and Heather a.k.a. Razzlekhan, who I guess is a Tik-Tok influencer internet money launderer.

And yes, basically, they took back custody of the Bitcoin that were stored on online storage, which anyone that knows Bitcoin or has any involvement

in Bitcoin knows that that's an absolute no go.

ANDERSON: Because, of course, the worry would be if you're involved in the world of Bitcoin, if you invest, for example, that this might damage

confidence in the crypto industry, do you think it will?

TABBAA: I actually, it's quite the opposite. Because for international mass adoption, I think it's important for people to understand that Bitcoin is

not a tool for money laundering, and anyone that uses it for illicit purposes can get tracked down. So there's a misconception that Bitcoin is

anonymous. Actually, when something is digital, it's much easier to track than the physical world. So I actually think it's very positive.

ANDERSON: So I guess that begs the question, is this then actually an example of, of the crypto block chain working given that the DOJ was

effectively able to track down almost all of this stolen Bitcoin using that technology correct? This is this is a win effectively is what you are

saying for the industry as a whole.

TABBAA: It is it is a huge win. And the level of detail is absolutely insane. Like we know that they use some of the stolen Bitcoin to buy a $500

gift card that they then use to buy an iPhone and a play station at Wal- Mart. Like imagine that's yes, I guess the power of the Bitcoin Block chain that you can absolutely track all transaction.

ANDERSON: So who are this couple? They do seem like two characters. A New York hipster lifestyle charged with a billion dollar Bitcoin heist, one

moonlighted as a rapper, who are they? Do they represent a profile that you are familiar with when it comes to those who are investing in the world of

crypto?

TABBAA: I mean, new technology attracts the best and worst in people. I leave it to you to decide where Razzlekhan fits in that category. But yes,

basically, Razzlekhan is actually a writer for Forbes.

She used to give speeches about social engineering. And she was the founder of a couple of startups. Her husband was the founder of a company that was

part of Y Combinator and was regarded as a successful entrepreneur.

So yes, I guess when you see those tick tock videos, it's not what you expect of a money launderer that does three $4 billion worth of financial

crime. But yes, I think it's hard to paint crypto in one brush. You have some of the smartest people in the world working on technology, but you

also have Razzlekhan joining the party.

ANDERSON: Jackson Palmer, the founder of Dogecoin. And this is a crypto currency that many people may be familiar with because it is a favorite of

course of Elon Musk.

The founder said in a tweet, and I want to bring this up that he had been disillusioned by the crypto industry that it is built primarily to amplify

the wealth of its proponents. And is used and I quote here "For tax avoidance and diminished regulatory oversight", your response to that.

[11:45:00]

TABBAA: Look, I think technology is not evil, technology is usually neutral. Humans use technology for whatever purpose. So for example, cars

can allow you to move from point A to point B, but you could run someone over. So that doesn't mean the car itself is bad. It's just the way that

humans use that piece of technology is the way that I would look at it.

ANDERSON: Right.

TABBAA: I actually think crypto --.

ANDERSON: So I've heard that sort of explanation before, I do want to specifically put you because you really do know your stuff. And that's why

we've got you on. It's great having you on. The Jackson Palmer said specifically, this is built primarily to amplify the wealth of its

proponents, and is used to tax for tax avoidance and diminished regulatory oversight. Is he right?

TABBAA: In some extent, he is right. So I will be the first to admit that, as I told you, crypto attracts the best and the worst in people. So just

like stocks, there are some amazing stocks and there are some bad stocks.

In my opinion, Bitcoin is the best form of money that the world has ever seen, which is why I believe in its future, but you also have a lot of

crappy crypto currencies that are scams. There was one that was created for that Korean show that I forgot its name.

But basically, it was a pump and dump scheme to allow, basically the founders to steal money, because you have to remember that in the world of

crypto, all you need is an internet connection in order to have a financial transaction.

So I wasn't - I was young when the internet first came out, but a lot of people who were against the internet saying that for you to publish

information online or for you to publish information publicly, you needed to have some sort of license.

And now basically, you can go on Twitter or any other type of social media and the internet democratized access to information for better or worse,

and then crypto is going to democratize access to finance money also, for better or worse.

ANDERSON: It's a fascinating time Talal, it's really good to have you in Squid Game is what you were trying to remember.

TABBAA: Yes.

ANDERSON: We'll have you back thank you sir.

TABBAA: All right, take care.

ANDERSON: Up next the New Zealand snowboarder --thank you, who won her country's first ever Olympic gold medal, see her interview with our Coy

Wire. And why her father's colorful reaction is getting so much attention rightly so.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis is clinched Team USA's - let me say that again Team USA's first gold medal at the Beijing Olympics. She won

golden the women's snowboard cross event on Wednesday, sealing her redemption as it were. It's been a long road to victory for the 36 year old

at an Olympics debut. 16 years ago she had a dramatic - miss falling in one of her final jumps giving her a second place finish.

Well, she has made it to every winter Olympic since, but she'd failed to win any medals. She, the most decorated snowboard cross athlete in the

world can now add an Olympic crown to her name.

[11:50:00]

ANDERSON: Super story, New Zealand also celebrating its first ever gold medal in any winter Olympics. 20 year old Zoi Sadowski-Synnott placed first

in a snowboard slope style event over the weekend. She spoke to CNN's Coy Wire about her historic win and why her dad has gone viral.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZOI SADOWSKI-SYNNOTT, WOMEN'S SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE GOLD MEDALIST: Probably won't sink in until I'm back home in New Zealand. But yes, I kind of need

to decompress and put it in the back of my mind because I still got bigger up next.

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT (on camera): You go out there, you make history first person from New Zealand to ever get winter gold. And you go to call

mom and dad. And what happened?

SYNNOTT: Yes, my parents told him to them after they were pretty had a few too many drinks for sure, which was awesome because like it's sick, but

they got to celebrate for me over in New Zealand and the whole family was losing it, so yes, special.

WIRE (on camera): Now your dad goes viral.

SYNNOTT: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How proud are you right now? Your daughter's just become the first - Kiwi to win a winter gold Eva.

SEAN SYNNOTT, SADOWSKI-SYNNOTT'S FATHER: I'm pretty excited to be honest.

WIRE (on camera): What did you see in that interview? And then how do you analyze what you saw?

SYNNOTT: Yes, I didn't even want to watch it. I just heard about it. And I was like --I don't want to say this. When I watched it, I just cracked up

laughing because it was so him and yes, he definitely had a --.

WIRE (on camera): On a scale of one to 10, where does your dad rank on the type of person that you would want to party with?

SYNNOTT: Oh, like 10 out of 10, --. He can sink drinks for sure.

WIRE (on camera): How much have your parents met to you on this journey?

SYNNOTT: Yes, my parents, they've done so much for me and to come home with gold after all the support and ups and downs has been, it's going to be

pretty emotional, I am coming, so.

WIRE (on camera): When you finally get back home when these Olympics are over, what are you going to do? What's it going to be like?

SYNNOTT: Yes, I turned 21 in two weeks. I'm pretty excited for that. But I won't be home. But I don't even know what I'm going to do. And I don't even

know when I'm going home. So yes, just let it happen.

WIRE (on camera): Was it going to be like with you and dad?

SYNNOTT: Yes, dad - yes, hopefully by then, his whiskey endorsement and comes through.

WIRE (on camera): He's got the--

SYNNOTT: He reckons, but he also said that he's got a toilet paper and mouthwash endorsement.

WIRE (on camera): - somewhat viral moment.

SYNNOTT: Yes.

WIRE (on camera): I think that the toilet paper endorsement because of the potty mouth.

SYNNOTT: Yes.

WIRE (on camera): Mr. Synnott, I'm coming to celebrate with you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: I mean, means it, believe me. China, though being winter sports will keep thriving after the Olympics are finished. The country has poured

billions of dollars of course into ice and snow sports venues since being announced as the Winter Games host.

And even though much of the snow is being made by machines, tourists do seem to be taking to it naturally, CNN's David Culver with this report for

you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (VOICE OVER): Beijing playing host to its second Olympics, but these are the first winter games held in China's

capital city. Given that many parts of China rarely see below freezing temperatures. Winter sports are traditionally not as popular. But that is

changing.

Eric Zhang and his toddler twins just got back from a ski trip in northeastern China. Growing up in southern China, Eric never even saw snow

until he moved to the U.S. for college. It was there he started skiing. And now as a dad, he's made it a family hobby.

ERIC ZHANG, SKI ENTHUSIAST: I heard of so many friends around me and in the esteem starting to learn ski. They're starting to learn snowboard, right.

CULVER (on camera): Even as adults, they've--

ZHANG: Even as adults right and then so we are bringing our kids to onto the snow, I think the industry is going to be booming.

CULVER (voice over): Booming in typical China fashion, take Zhang city, Shanghai, the lack of snow and ice not a problem. Artificial skating rinks

like this one are built annually with the help of snowmaking machines, giving kids in today's southern China a luxury generations before them

never experienced getting a feel for the slopes on these ski simulators.

In the past five or so years, more than 100 of these climate controlled machines have sprung up in Shanghai alone.

CULVER (on camera): As people across China warm up to the idea of winter sports, you've got more and more indoor ski facilities like this one here

in Shanghai that are opening up and with that you have a rapidly expanding market for it.

CULVER (voice over): As part of its Olympic campaign, the Chinese government unveiled an ambitious Winter sports development plan in 2016

aiming to construct 650 skating rinks and 800 ski resorts by the end of this year and to grow the scale of the industry to top $150 billion by

2025, a lucrative market that attracts both domestic and international businesses.

[11:55:00]

CULVER (voice over): China is proud of the surging craze since Beijing won its bid for the Winter Olympics seven years ago. The government says it has

successfully motivated more than 300 million Chinese to participate in winter sports, a target set by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2014.

We should take the opportunity to popularize ice and snow sports, Xi stresses. But China's speedy growth also brings problems. The quality and

service of its ski resorts are still relatively behind more traditional ski resorts in the West.

There are also environmental concerns; the massive artificial snowmaking in ski resorts stretches already exhausted Water Resources. Back in his

Shanghai apartment, ski enthusiast Eric Zhang hopeful for what's ahead.

ZHANG: I think Winter Olympics is going to be a strong booster for this; you are going to see the huge boosting of enthusiasm and passion of the

Chinese people in this winter Sport.

CULVER (voice over): In Olympic ambition for a once rule nation primed to make winter sports mainstream to last long after the closing ceremonies.

David Culver, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And just time for our parting shots which tonight is a story about an Olympian who has won not medals, but hearts. Bing Dwen Dwen really

rolls off the tongue doesn't it the official mascot for the Beijing Winter Olympics.

And a crowd favorite at award ceremonies translating to chubby ice child, Bing Dwen Dwen has taken China by storm causing shear panda-monium.

Factories making stuff souvenirs are ramping up production to keep up with demand.

The mascot design was selected from thousands of submissions and it is paid off. Patent - is selling out fans and collectors braving the cold, queuing

up in their hundreds to get their hands on what is an adorable piece of Olympic history. I really do hope the supply catches up. We might want one

of those pandas for Team Moscow here in touch with my colleagues out in Beijing. That's all from us for tonight.

Thank you for watching "Connect the World". From the team working with me here and those working with us around the world, it's a very good evening.

"One World" though with Zain Asher is up next, to do please stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END